Guardians: Army of Darkness
by PraxicKnight
Summary: Of all the Fireteams that constantly battle against the Darkness, only one is notable for their battle prowess, their bravery, and their pure, raw power. One Titan, one Hunter, one Warlock. Two humans, one Exo. Three legends.
1. A Dream?

_A world of darkness. Lightning flashes, and rain pelts the dark soil and broken spires of long-gone high rises. A Guardian lies there. On his knees, clutching his head as the thunder and lightning rip agonizingly through his head. Writhing in agony from the splitting pain, he looks up at the dark figure standing before him... and shrieks in terror as it raises a clawed hand forward..._

Drex Harth sat bolt upright in bed, the motion flinging his blanket off. Drenched in sweat and shivering in fear from the nightmare, he practically scuttled off the bed and crossed the room to his 'wardrobe'. It was just a single mannequin with his Future War Cult supplied Titan armour draped over it.

As he slid into his armour and grabbed his personal SUROS Regime, he considered the dream. It had practically seemed real, almost like a vision... he decided not to contemplate it. It was probably just a nightmare induced by all the stress he was under fighting the forces of darkness.

Yeah, that's all. He hurriedly walked to the head of his ship, the _Spindle Demon_ , and started the system. He stopped thinking about the dream, and focused on what he was doing.

But as he woke his Ghost, and began the descent from orbit to the Tower, he couldn't help but shake a deep feeling of foreboding.

* * *

Drex was a Titan Guardian. Under the helmet he had fair skin, blond hair and piercing blue eyes. His face was hard, and he looked every bit like the powerful soldier he was. But he still felt slightly inconspicuous as he walked among the other Guardians at the Tower. Most were buying or storing items, some were chatting and messing around, climbing the tree and playing with the gravity ball among other ways to enjoy their short time at the place they protracted. Quite a few were yelling angrily at the Tower's resident Cryptarch, Master Rahool. One in particular was shrieking about his legendary engram and shaking what looked to be an uncommon hand cannon in Rahool's face.

Drex couldn't help but feel some slight sympathy for the Cryptarch, but continued down to the Vanguards. When he arrived, he approached the Titan Vanguard; Commander Zavala.

"Ah, Harth," Zavala said, half smiling. "How goes the fight?" Drex smiled back.

"Pretty good, sir. My Fireteam took down a Cabal warlord last week." Commander Zavala nodded his appreciation, then got to business.

"Why are you here, Drex? You certainly aren't here for armour or weapons - The Future War Cult seems to have supplied that for you." Drex grimaced, then proceeded to describe his dream.

"I know I should ignore it... but I can't ignore this nagging feeling. As though the dream was either just that, or was something more." Commander Zavala considered this.

"Could you recognize the place you were in that dream?" He inquired. Drex nodded in response.

"It was London." Commander Zavala nodded.

"I wouldn't dwell on it, but if you still have that feeling then head into the No-Man's Land with your Fireteam, and see if your dream was correct." Recognizing this as a hidden dismissal, Drex turned to go, but was stopped by Zavala's hand on his shoulder.

"Tell Eren and Arina I said hello." He said warmly. Drex nodded to show that he would, then left the hall out of etiquette. Once back in the main area, he called up his Ghost and disappeared in a burst of shimmering blue light.

Just before he left, he saw the same guy raving to any other Guardian who would care to listen about his uncommon hand cannon from a legendary engram, and watched another dancing around with Spare Change.25 and Felwinter's Lie.

* * *

A Cabal Phalanx roared, spittle flying through the air as it crouched behind its shield and sprayed wildly with it's weapon. Although it was a highly experienced soldier, it was no match for the power of light.

A scatter grenade exploded against it's shield. As it was knocked backwards by the blow and its shield blown askew, the cluster of smaller grenades exploded in full force against its chest. It was instantly disintegrated by the void energy the grenades carried, and the Guardian who threw it grinned at the kill.

Arina Fletcher was a Warlock who had showed huge prowess with Pulse Rifles and explosives. As a colossus found out as her Lance Nova Bomb, charged with her Annihilate upgrade, slammed into it and blew it into oblivion. Arina was a human with shoulder length black hair with light red streaks, but that was kept under her Dead Light Hood helmet, keeping her green eyes and full lips hidden.

Before she knew it, a group of legionaries and phalanx charged her. As she raised Red Death, Eren let himself be known. The Exo Hunter charged forward, knife charged with arc light. He threw himself against the group, his blade carving death wherever he went. He crosscut one across the chest, dismembered a phalanx's shield arm before beheading it, sending the black blood of the Cabal spurting everywhere.

Eren-8 was a male exo. His optics were a bright white and the light that burned behind his mouth was a pale blue. The colour of his 'skin' was a light grey with a digital hexagonal camouflage pattern, and there was a green splatter over his left optic.

He spun as his knife discharged the last bursts of arc light, and threw a throwing knife with pinpoint accuracy at a legionnaire. It lodged in its chest and detonated, blowing off half its body in a hail of dark blood. Another met its end in the form of ridiculously powerful bullets as Eren spun like lightning and drew The Last Word and Hawkmoon. He fired one shot from each respective hand cannon into the unfortunate Cabal.

As he turned to the last legionnaire, it's head snapped to the side as three high-velocity bullets slammed into the side of its head.

Arina smiled at Eren under helmet, and lowered Red Death, the barrel still smoking. Eren sheathed his now normal knife, holstered his two exotic hand cannons after reloading them, then went to join the only other member of his Fireteam.

"Not bad," Arina said, smiling. "Only two shots that time." Eren sighed.

"Look, these things don't exactly roll over and let you shoot their heads off, y'know." Arina chuckled slightly.

"Yes, I know. And that's why I-" she was interrupted as a ship flew over their head. They both recognized it as a Kestrel-Class AX0, coloured blood red and with grey trim, coloured after the pilot's armour shader.

The _Spindle Demon_.

The two Guardians faces split into large grins.

"What's Drex doing here?" Eren asked rhetorically. Arina managed a shrug before blue light flared before them and Drex Harth appeared, resplendent in his FWC armour with his custom red and grey shader. He pulled off his helmet as he stepped forward, as did his friends as they embraced warmly in a clank of armour.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Drex said, smiling warmly. Eren and Arina gave voice to their agreement by punching him lightly on each shoulder, their Fireteam's personal symbol. He returned the gesture.

"You're still with FWC, huh?" Arina said, noting his armour.

"And I see you're still with Dead Orbit. Guess that Al-Suhail helmet wasn't doing you much good." Drex smiled. He was correct. Arina wore Extropy Morph Crucible armour with the Million Million shader, but she now also wore Dead Orbit's Warlock issued helmet. Arina was also unique - one her left arm she wore her Dead Orbit Warlock bond, while on her right arm she wore the Bond replica of the legendary burial ring of Ulan-Tan. Her Voidwalker prowess allowed her to draw from the double warlock bond and increase her power. Eren tutted, still smiling.

"You guys ain't got nothing on New Monarchy." He jeered, showing off his full New Monarchy set and his cloak. His cloak had been issued by New Monarchy, but had his personal logo imprinted on it; The Last Word and Hawkmoon crossed over a blood splatter. Eren was also unique - he could effortlessly swap between subclasses, with charging his blade with arc light or solar powering his hand cannons to wield dual Golden Guns. As far as he knew, Drex had no special talents like that, but still he laughed, enjoying the banter. It was just like it had always been - the three of them against the forces of darkness, and laughing and having fun while they destroyed the endless legions the darkness threw at them.

"So Drex, what are your doing here?" Arina asked. Drex instantly sobered up, his grin twisting into a lemon-sucking grimace.

"I need to ask something of you." He admitted.

"Anything for you, bro." Eren said, worried but absently spinning Hawkmoon in his left hand. Drex looked at them seriously.

"You guys can decide not to come. I'm heading into London, and I need more than just myself to... to see." Arina and Eren fell silent, contemplating his offer. Then, in unison, they both nodded.

"As I said... anything for you." Eren said, smiling. Arina nodded in agreement. Drex smiled widely in relief.

"So, you gonna tell us why we're going in there?" Arina asked, curious. Drex nodded, and began explaining his dream. After his explanation, the two Guardians still came with him.

Drex felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders as the _Spindle Demon_ flew for Earth, with Arina's ship, the _Cloud Errant_ , and Eren's ship, the _Crypt Hammer_ close behind, their very presence reassuring to him in a way no set of armour or an exotic weapon could be.

* * *

 **Hey guys, thanks for reading. As this is my first official fanfic, I'm honoured you read this far. Feel free to review and criticize, because I need all the help I can get! Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter. Peace!**


	2. Dirt and Debris

Drex recognized the land from his dream. The same ruins of buildings, the same rusted cars and pieces of bone, the same dirt that covered the ground.

"That does _not_ look like any dirt I've ever seen before." Arina said, ever the scholar as she mulled over it.

"Really, Arina?" Eren sighed.

"I have to agree with Eren-8," Arina's Ghost, Bitstream, said. "Of all the things to focus on, you focus on the dirt?" Bitstream appeared to be ready to say more, but fell silent when Arina shot him a withering stare. Drex would normally be semi-serious at this point, but now he felt no emotions other than utter seriousness and... fear.

"Guys, _concentrate_." Drex snapped, surprising himself. His two companions were shocked by his sudden change in character, and fell silent immediately. No words were spoken as the trio appeared on the ground in a bright blue flash. Drex could practically feel his best friends' gazes, piercing into him and trying to read his soul.

"What _is_ this stuff?" Eren muttered, kicking the dirt. It flew forward in an arc, hitting the side of a ruined house with a rattle. Exposed by his kick, the Guardians could see concrete, cracked and broken.

"So... if that's what it is actually like, where did all this dirt come from?" Arina said, half to herself. The Guardians' Ghosts all appeared, hovering over their heads.

"We could scan it, if you like." Drex's Ghost, Set, said. The other two Ghosts, Bitstream and Hotlink, bobbed their angular star-like bodies in the Ghost equivalent of a nod. Drex nodded in agreement, and the three Ghosts descended. Once they were at boot-height, they projected blue beams of light from their eyes, and began scanning. Soon they hovered back up to head height.

"You're not going to like this at all." Set said gravely. Hotlink, Eren's Ghost, piped in.

"The dirt really isn't dirt. It's organic remnants of humans, Awoken, and Exos." The Guardians stood in stunned silence.

"Wait, so this is all dead beings?" Arina gasped, staring at the 'dirt'. Eren immediately spun to face her.

"You say 'fascinating' and I will slap you silly!" He shouted, only half joking.

"From what we can gather, the beings you are currently standing on were disintegrated by a being of near god-like power." Bitstream said.

"Who or what could do such a thing?" Drex said, crouching and peering at the remains of sentient beings.

As he did, the sound of shifting dirt could be heard. The trio of Guardians instantly spun, raising their weapons as they did so. The figure behind them instantly stopped as it was faced with SUROS Regime, Red Death, and The Last Word and Hawkmoon.

Eren was the first to break the silence.

"You." The Exo Stranger smiled, but there was no humour on her metal features.

"Yes. Me." She said. The Guardians holstered their weapons. Each had encountered her a few times, most notably when the three of them had been congratulated by her after they had destroyed the heart of the Black Garden. Her Pulse Rifle had been put to good use by Arina for a while.

"What are you doing here?" Drex asked, curious.

"To deliver a warning," the Stranger said. "The path you walk on is shrouded. I have relived this moment many times, stood on this very ground many times, but each time the outcome has been different." She looked around the small group, her features fixed. Eren summed up how he felt about what she'd said.

"What?" He asked, bewildered. Again the Stranger smiled humorlessly.

"Tread carefully... your future is ever-shifting." Then she turned, and disappeared in a flash of light not unlike the Guardians' teleporting. The trio stood in bewildered silence for a minute, before Eren broke the silence yet again, using his surprising ability to easily sum up things that had just occurred; he leaned back against a ruined brick wall, put his head in his hands, and murmured:

"What in the name of The Speaker's ungodly 'I could tell you but I won't' scheme just happened?"

"I hate walking." Arina groaned, clutching her side as she trudged down the street after the two men. Eren was an Exo and didn't need to feel fatigue, and Drex was so concentrated on figuring out whether his dream was a vision or not that he didn't feel the ache of his muscles.

Arina had no such incentive, and the stitch in her side was flaring as they kept walking. Normally they'd be using their Sparrows in this sort of situation, but their was no vehicle transmit in this ruined city, and if there was one anyway it would be broken beyond repair. Eren looked back at her, and grinned.

"Yeah man, are we there yet?" Eren asked. Drex shrugged.

"I don't know. In my dream all I saw was dirt and a few destroyed houses." Arina groaned in exasperation.

"So if you don't know where you dream was set, how would you know where the hell we're going?" She shouted, gasping for breath between each word. Infuriatingly, Drex shrugged again.

Before she could let loose a stream of expletives about Drex, their current situation, and the world in general, a bloodcurdling howl pierced the night sky. The three Guardians turned to see a... thing appear from a building down the street. It was humanoid in shape and had the same basic shape and size of a human male. But that was where the similarities ended.

It was made of darkness, pure and deep as a void. It was ever shifting, writhing as though in constant agony. It's eyes were a bright, burning white, pure as stars against the night of its body.

It howled again, and charged. The Guardians, having fought together for so long that they could assume positions just by reading the situation, all assumed a defensive stance; Drex standing in the middle with Arina and Eren crouched beside him.

The trio opened fire, their bullets scything through the fragile air. When their bullets thudded into the creature, it staggered for half a second, then continued onwards, the bullets passing through its body and clattering to the ground behind it.

As the Guardians' weapons all clicked empty in unison, the being fell upon them. Drex unleashed a spinning round house kick that would have caved its chest in if it hadn't been the strange ethereal creature that it was.

As it was, his leg passed harmlessly through it. He felt slight resistance as he went through the darkness, as though he was kicking through water. Then his leg came out, and he turned the momentum into a roll the left him crouching a few feet away from the enemy.

Eren leapt forward, swinging his knife. Again, it passed harmlessly through the creature. Before he could move, the creature roared and slammed its palm into Eren's chest. It was as though the limb had solidified just before impact. Eren was catapulted away, black smoke trailing for the impact point.

He crashed into the dirt, chestplate still smoking. The attack hadn't penetrated his tough New Monarchy armour, but it felt like the energy from the attack had seeped through, and was currently making him very uncomfortable.

 _Why was I programmed to feel pain_? He thought to himself blearily, hydraulics whining as he writhed on the ground, clutching his chest.

Back on the battlefield, things weren't looking too good.

Arina leapt at her enemy, still firing Red Death. The creature swung at her, but she called upon the energy stored in her Warlock Bonds to blink through and appear on the other side of the creature. She turned and raised her hand, palm facing her enemy. An orb of void energy blasted for her palm, her Voidwalker's melee ability.

The creature sponged the attack, absorbing the energy like it was nothing. It spun like lightning, and backhanded the unfortunate Guardians across her face. Her neck snapped instantly as her head was blasted to the side, sending her flying. She thudded into a wall and crashed through it, shattering her bones and turning her internal organs into mush. Once the dust settled, she couldn't be seen underneath the pile of stone and dirt.

The being howled triumphantly, turning its face heavenward. Then it heard a shout;

" _Hey_ , _jerkface_!" It turned to face Drex. He could feel his body getting warm, as though he had had an internal body heating overload. He screamed in anger over what he had witnessed, and his eyes flared pure white. He had the same feeling as he did when he summoned his Fist of Havoc, only on a much larger scale.

He could feel the light coursing through his body, burning him. He screamed again, a mixture of pain and fury, torn straight from his soul. His body became enveloped in bright, pure white light. It condensed into his arms, encasing them in cocoons of pure energy.

His enemy roared a battle cry, then charged. It swung a wild right hook at him, and he knew what he had to do. Totally calm, he raised his left hand and caught the still ethereal hand in his. The creature froze, absolutely shocked.

Drex wasted no time, and raised his right hand. So quick that his hand could barely be seen, he slammed his energy-encased fist into his enemy's chest. The effect was immediate.

The creature screamed in pure agony, and began writhing just like the darkness it was composed of. A pure white glow shone for its chest, disintegrating the darkness. With one final scream, it was blasted into oblivion.

Drex recoiled, the energy disappearing from his arms. Where his super would leave him drained and tired, after that he felt as though he could take on an army of Fallen and come out victorious. But he had a surprise waiting for him.

Before Drex stood a man, composed of light. It was an Awoken, and he was dressed in the Agema amour of a Titan Guardian. He smiled slightly.

"Thank you." The Awoken said, his voice resounding a thousand times around Drex's head.

"Why are you?" Drex asked, awestruck by the actual ghost. The Awoken man smiled sadly, but yet radiated joy.

"That does not matter," he said. "What does matter is that now I can finally die." He raised his face skyward, then turned into a conflux of twisting light energy, before disappearing without a trace. Drex was totally bewildered, both by his newfound powers and by the ghost of a dead Guardian. Before he could contemplate it, a voice spoke from behind him.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" Eren shouted, optics wide in amazement. Drex shrugged in response.

"I have no idea." He said, his voice reflecting Eren's amazement. A voice broke them out of their reverie;

"Hello? Guys?" Arina shouted from under the pile of rubble. "Sunsinger can only do so much when you're trapped under a pile of rocks!" It was true - Drex and Eren could just about make out the faint glow of her Sunsinger's Radiance.

Drex and Eren looked at each other and sighed, resigned. Then they began digging their friend out.

* * *

 **Hey guys, thanks for reading this far. I appreciate it! A review would also be appreciated, as I would love some feedback from you guys to help this story grow! This is Knight, signing off.**


	3. Unlikely Allies

_"A Titan, born of flesh and blood, gifted with the extraordinary ability to wield the Light of the Traveller as manifestations of object. Clad in the power of the Light, he will drive back the embodiment of Darkness, his arch-nemesis, his equal. For there cannot be Light without Dark, the universe shall never be free of the Darkness... It can only be driven back, thrust into a corner where it will lick it's wounds before launching its next campaign to destroy us. That is what The Warrior will do. He will drive the Darkness back."_

-Excerpt from the 'Legend of The Warrior', by Praedico Ceres.

The light from the burning fire cast strange shapes and shadows around the trio. They shared a comfortable silence, as they sat silently around the fire eating their ration packs for dinner. This time Arina's voice shattered the silence.

"So, Drex... what was that back there?" She hadn't seen what had happened to Drex, due to being trapped beneath the huge pile of stone and dirt, but Eren had described what had happened. Drex shrugged, and the question brought feelings flooding through him; confusion, awe... fear.

"I do not know," he admitted, resting his head in his armoured hands. "But whatever it was, it was as though the Light was manifesting itself." Arina and Eren nodded dumbly, unsure what to think about Drex's newfound power.

"Drex," said Set, his separate angular sections shifting. "I believe I know what the anomaly you experienced was." Drex instantly turned to face his Ghost.

"What was it?" He whispered, his voice so low that his companions couldn't wonder whether they'd just imagined him saying it. Set nodded, then began his explanation.

"I believe you are the Warrior." Drex's eyebrows came together in confusion, but Arina gasped.

"Impossible." She breathed, taken aback.

"What?" Eren probed, surprised by her reaction. Arina turned to stare at the Exo, her voice filled with awe.

"The Legend of the Warrior; 'A Titan, born of flesh and blood, gifted with the extraordinary ability to wield the Light of the Traveller as manifestations of object. Clad in the power of the Light, he will drive back the embodiment of Darkness'. _That's_ who the Warrior is." Everyone sat silently, struck dumb by this new information.

"That's deep, bro." Eren jested, trying to relieve the tension in the air. Drex just shook his head, his stare boring into his palms.

"No... I can't be him," he gasped, and stood abruptly. "I can't be some 'Chosen One'! I mean... I'm just a regular Guardian!" Set hovered up to his head height.

"How would you explain what happened with that creature, then?" Set asked, trying to placate his master. Drex threw his hands up in frustration and unwillingness.

"I... I don't know. All I know is that I don't know anything anymore." He admitted, sagging back to the ground. The silence that enveloped them was now strained and forced, as they all sat staring into the fire.

"How did the legend of the... the Warrior, how do we know he exists?" Drex asked, his voice grim. Arina met his gaze.

"It's not certain, but it's said that a powerful Warlock saw it happen in a vision." She said. Drex barked out an incredulous laugh.

"Good source you got there!" He hissed, still trying not to focus on the fact that he may very well be the Warrior. Arina half-glared at him. This was the closest any of them had gotten to an argument.

"It was seen by Praedico, one of the most powerful Warlocks to ever exist." She scolded, her voice harsh and scalding at the blatant disrespect to her class.

"Do you think anyone will receive our distress call?" Eren asked to break up the impending argument, his eyes still carefully averted from Drex. Arina and Drex both shrugged, their gazes still conflicting. The trio of Guardians had sent out a coded distress signal that was all they could manage considering their situation. Those at the Tower wouldn't receive it; the distance was too great. Only those in close proximity would receive it.

Drex lay back and stared up at the sky, wondering if anyone would arrive to help...

* * *

"What do you think?" Dess Bree, an Awoken Hunter sat in his comfortable pilot's chair, listening to the coded distress call. He had received it a few minutes before, and he had quickly transmitted the message to the rest of his Fireteam.

"I don't know," a female voice spoke over the comlink. "Could be a trap."

"How could it be a trap?" Another feminine voice questioned. "It's coded."

"True..."

"We should go check it out," Dess said, inputting coordinates into his ship's navigation system. It ticked and beeped as though it had a mind of its own, then began the descent from orbit. "Lett, Arra, gear up. We can handle anything."

Scarlett 'Lett' Arrix was an Awoken Titan, and she had dark purple skin, silver hair, and eyes that burned a deep scarlet, her namesake. Arra-17 was an Exo Warlock, and she had a sleek design with pine green eyes and vocal lighting, dazzle-patterned skin coloured to the likes of rubble (Greys, blacks, and browns) and the look was completed with a green barcode imprinted along the left side of her cranium.

This barcode did not serve any purpose, it was just there to add a nice decal. Dess had a light blue skin, golden-blonde hair and brown eyes. Each used a new form of Super - Sunbreaker, Stormcaller, and Nightstalker.

They were called Fireteam Omicron... but most Guardian's called them 'Team Arrogant', relating to how ungodly arrogant, selfish, and cocky they were. As their ships descended through the atmosphere with flares of red streaking along their bows, they readies their Exotics; Dess racked his Fate Of All Fools, Lett pumped her Felwinter's Lie, and Arra calibrated her Gjallahorn, then swapped it out for her Revelator Hand Cannon.

All three smiled, overconfidence explicit on their faces.

* * *

Drex sighed. None heard him.

He was encased in his armour, shifting to get comfortable against the ash of the ground. The silence and tension had become too awkward after a few minutes, and he had slid his helmet on, making a half-hearted excuse to explain his actions before switching off all comms and darkening his visor.

Trying to sleep, he had started playing his favorite calming song, 'O Death'. It may have made those who feared death shiver and dismiss it, but Drex didn't fear death. He really didn't have anything to live for, apart from his Fireteam. He couldn't leave them, his friends. And now he may be a legendary chosen one... it was too much to contemplate.

Instead, he tried sleeping, softly singing along the the song breathing against his ears.

"O Death..." He lay back, closing his eyes. "Won't you spare me over 'til another year..?" He was now half asleep, balancing on the precipe between sleep and reality. The words of the song seemed to echo in his ears, but he was no longer singing.

"For I am Death, and none can tell if I open the door to Heaven or Hell..." The song still played, but the voice was different. It was deeper, and grated against Drex's ears.

"No," Drex whimpered, unsure if he was dreaming or if he was having a vision... or if something was communicating with him. "Stop..." The singer's voice, Amy Van Roekel's, slowly faded into oblivion, and a voice like nails scratching against a chalkboard spoke in his ear.

"Don't worry, Warrior," the voice said as the hair on Drex's arms stood on end. "You have no _need_ to worry. I shall make your death quick... and painful." The voice laughed maniacally. Drex began to thrash around, but couldn't feel his body responding to his commands. Then he felt a pressure inside his chest, around his heart. He gasped, and began shrieking as the pressure increased. He could feel a cold hand slowly crushing the source of his life.

Then the pressure ceased, and the voice recoiled with a hiss. The darkness the veiled Drex's vision was lifted, and he could see. There was nothing but bright white light. _I've died and gone to purgatory_. Was all Drex thought, as he looked around. Something solidified in front of him. It was a figure, a man. He wore exactly the same armour as Drex, but it was coloured black as midnight, and writhed like the creature they'd fought earlier. Drex looked down, and saw his body.

The armour he wore was a bright white, the same that this place was seemingly made of. His armour didn't writhe, like his duplicate's, but rather shone, as though while whatever composed his duplicate's armour was forever screaming in agony, Drex's armour was peaceful, serene, happy even.

" _Impossible_!" The figure across from him screamed, in that familiar grating voice. Only this time, it sounded familiar. _Very_ familiar. Almost... brotherly. Then the figure disappeared, and he was plunged back into darkness, and immediately began clawing at his helmet.

It was only then that he realised that he wasn't dreaming anymore, if that had even been a dream. He took deep breaths to calm himself down, and only then realised that the song was still playing, still tickling, still trying to draw his attention.

"But what is this, that I can't see, with ice-cold hands taking hold of me..." He gaze fumbled, trying to undarken his visor to find where to blink at in order to shut off the song. It was his favorite, but it seemed tainted by the duplicate that had seemingly tried to crush his heart.

"When God is gone and the Devil takes hold, who will have mercy on your soul?" Drex finally undarkened his visor, and saw Arina and Eren's curious but worried faces peering in. His face would still not be visible to them, and he couldn't hear them as he had closed himself off. He finally managed to shut off the song, Amy Van Roekel's voice cutting off midway through the chorus.

Drex was quick to unseal his helmet and rip it off, exposing his sweat-ridden skin to the cool night air. Panting as though he had just run a marathon, he stared up at his friends' faces in a stupor, hearing their voices as though underwater.

"Drex?" Arina snapped him out of his reverie. Literally, as she slapped him hard across the face.

" _Ow_!" Drex shouted, rubbing the now red-raw skin of his cheek. Arina ignored him.

"Drex, what was that?" She said, concerned. Eren agreed.

"Yeah, you were thrashing about. Were you dreaming?" He said, his voice echoing Arina's concern. Drex nodded, still panting.

"Yeah, I-" he wasn't able to finish, as the roar of thrusters filled the air.

"What the flack?" Eren yelled, staring up at the night sky. Three ships flew overhead; the trio caught a glimpse of a NS22 High Water and a Phaeton, then the three ships blazed upwards towards the heavens.

"Need any help?" A new voice said. Feminine. A Warlock approached them, resting a legendary Gjallahorn casually on her shoulder. Two more figures emerged from the darkness, a male and a female. One Hunter, and one Titan. Like their companion, both held Exotic weapons - the Hunter held a Fate of All Fools, and the Titan held Felwinter's Lie. All three removed their helmets, and each group instantly recognized each other. Drex's eyes widened in recognition when he locked eyes with Dess, Lett, and Arra.

"Great," Drex sighed. "Of all the Fireteams to receive our signal, we get team arrogant?" Dess glared at him.

"At least we actually have good guns." He retorted, resting his Fate of All Fools on his shoulder. Drex raised an eyebrow, smiling with disdain.

"You're saying SUROS Regime isn't as good as a scout rifle, then," he smiled, shaking his head with sarcastic mock sadness. "Somebody didn't pay attention in kindergarten." Dess' eyes bulged and his body tensed, as if preparing to pounce, but Lett rested her hand on his shoulder, calming him. Arra seemed to take it all in stride.

"SUROS Regime isn't even a good example of an Exotic," Arra said, defending her friend. "You see, there's a little something called Hard Light..." Pretty soon the small argument had devolved into a full on debate, as both sides yelled at each other angrily. This rivalry was sparked by the fact that Drex and his friends had earned their Exotics fair and square, while Omicron had just racked up strange coins and bought their exotics at level 15. Midway through an argument about whether Truth was better than Gjallahorn, Drex suddenly felt inexplicably nervous. It was just a gut feeling, but he felt threatened, as though something was coming.

"Guys..." Was all he managed to say, before the shadows became alive around them. Seven creatures charged out of the solid darkness, and began screeching. Some ran on two legs, while some smaller ones who seemed to have more spindly limbs than the others scuttled forward on all fours, moving like lightning.

"By the Traveller, what are _those_!?" Dess shouted, reeling backwards away from the tide of darkness.

"Does it matter?" Drex yelled back, then began unloading his clip at the enemy. Again, his bullets passed harmlessly through them. Just before they slammed into the Guardians, Drex felt another moment of clarity. Everything seemed to slow down, and he saw everything. He could see four standing enemies and three crawling. He could see Arra frantically reloading her Gjallahorn. He could see Arina yelling in panic, her mouth moving in slow motion.

He knew what to do.

He raised his palm, and light blasted forth. The creatures, stumbled, then their ethereal bodies noticeable solidified. Their footsteps could now be heard, and the darkness that composed them still writhed, but noticeably less. Calmly, Drex raised his auto-rifle and fired half a clip into one. It was instantly blown back, the darkness it was made of shredded by the high-caliber rounds. The other Guardians barely had time to register this sudden turn of events before the two sides clashed.

The battle was clearly one-sided. In numbers, the Guardians may have been overwhelmed, but the numbers were equal now. The Guardians' enemies were decimated. Eren fired a shot into his opponents stomach, and as it staggered he blinked forward and jammed his knife into its neck. Arina thrust the barrel of her Red Death against one's chin, then proceeded to blow its head off while Drex dispatched another by slamming a foot into its knee, then unholstering his Hakke sidearm and firing its 13 shots into the creature's chest.

The other Fireteam held their own well. Dess rammed the butt of his Scout Rifle against his enemy's face, then fired two precise shots into that same spot. Arra blasted an orb of electricity from her hand, sending the creature reeling, then smacked it away, using her Gjallahorn like a club. She finished it off by grinding its head underneath her foot. Lett easily dispatched her enemy; she simply raised her Felwinter's Lie and fired a single, thunder-like shot.

Her enemy keeled over like a felled tree, minus the upper half of its body. The Guardians weren't even breathing hard, but they could all see how much damage those creatures could do in numbers.

"Truce?" Dess suggested, raising a hand in surrender. Drex nodded.

"Truce.'


	4. Revelation

"How many are there?"

"Six now, sir." The Exile grated, it's voice grinding off the cracked and water-stained walls of the cave. Deep under London, this tunnel system had been mined by him. The one that sat before him, wearing the armour that writhed in agony, the armour forged from pure dark matter. He was Marek Phobos, leader of the Exiles.

And he would lead the Army of Exiles, lead them against the mighty Guardians.

"Six," Phobos sighed, glancing down at Na'ak, the Exile who had been with him since the very beginning. His brother and his sister, Arik and Thera, we're just below him on the ladder in order of power, as Na'ak was the most powerful and ruthless of the three. "Six? Six Guardians would dare to face me?"

"Sir, the Guardians are currently unaware of you, but they did liberate seven other Exiles," Na'ak hastily corrected his master. As well as being an exceptional tactician and warrior, he also served as his master's advisor. "A very impressive feat for even an army of Guardians." Phobos nodded, his gaze distant.

"Yes... he is the Warrior," Marek Phobos suddenly swept up and off his throne, and stood up to his full height. "I believe we have stayed in the shadows for too long. Na'ak - gather the Exiles. No longer shall we skulk and cower away from the Light, no longer shall we postpone the destruction of the Traveller. No, gather them. We will crush them." He raised a hand, gesturing to the entrance of the cavern.

"Yes, my lord." Na'ak said, hurriedly pulling himself to his armoured feet and marching away. As he exited the throne room, he could hear thunder roaring behind him.

"Do you hear me? Marek Phobos has spoken! Today is the day the Light will die." The cheers of a thousand dark souls shook the very earth.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" The six Guardians were standing together in the middle of a street, their silhouettes casting long trails along the dirt of the ground. An hour ago they'd decided to locate the source of the strange creatures, and to eliminate the threat before it spread.

"Drex," Dess said, glancing around uneasily. "What are you talking about? I heard nothing." The other Guardians agreed, some shaking their heads, and other mumbling agreement. Drex shook his head.

"Weird... It was like a war cry... Y'know, when the entire army roars in unison to scare their enemy? Yeah, it was like that." Arina's brows creased in confusion, and Lett snorted sarcastically.

"What, is the chosen one hearing things?" She teased meanly, eliciting a glare from both Eren and Arina. But Drex paid her no attention. Instead, he turned his head from side to side, listening, seeking something. Then, his head swiveled like a searchlight, and his direct glare burned into an impenetrable darkness in one of the buildings. Almost as though it knew it had been spotted, a figure stepped out of the solid black.

"You." Drex said calmly.

"Me." Said Marek Phobos in the same tone of voice, as cool as ice even when faced with a wall of bristling gun barrels. Drex turned to them, and shook his head to get them to lower their weapons.

"No point." He said, just for clarification. Just in front of them, they heard Phobos scoff, backing up Drex.

"Do you really think guns will be any use against me?"

"I'd be willing to give it a try." Dess growled, readying his Fate of All Fools. As he squeezed the trigger, the gun was suddenly smacked out of his hands by Drex. The crack of its discharge boomed like thunder down the street, then Drex turned back to Phobos, all the while ignoring the angry curses and expletives from Dess.

"Why show yourself to us?" Drex inquired, his trigger finger itching even though the barrel faced the floor.

"Well," Phobos said, and Drex knew he was smiling under the helmet, "I wanted to be reunited with my darling little brother." Drex choked, recoiling as Marek removed his helmet. The other Guardians too fell silent as the sight they were met with. Underneath the forbidding black helmet was Drex. Phobos looked exactly like Drex, with slight differences between their hairstyle, jaw, and eyes.

"How?" Drex managed to gasp. His brother smiled nastily.

"Why, bro... have you ever heard of twins?" Drex just shook his head, violently. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it.

"No." Eren, ever faithful to Drex, raised his weapons and fired a hail of lead from Hawkmoon and The Last Word. Phobos didn't even flinch. He just raised his hand, and caught one of the bullets out of the air. The rest slammed into his body, then clattered to the floor without even leaving a scratch. Eren's jaw dropped as Phobos inspected the high-caliber round he'd caught.

"Impressive." He stated, then dropped the bullet. Eren suddenly felt an invisible force pulling on his Last Word. He gripped it tightly, but an unstoppable force ripped it from his hand. Phobos gripped Eren's Last Word, and spun it akin to the Guardians' way of drawing the gun. Then he clenched his fist. The gun turned midnight black, and began to bubble, before crumbling into the same dirt that covered the ground. Eren swore, staring at the remains of his former hand cannon before holstering his Hawkmoon and backpedaling.

"Good idea." Phobos smiled at Eren, his smile showing no humor. Then he replaced the helmet, a hiss sounding as it sealed with the chest piece before he turned back to Drex. Drex shook his head again, unwilling.

"How? How are you my brother?" Phobos laughed waving a hand dismissively at Drex.

"I'll explain it to you, shall I? I was always smarter than you anyway. So... during the Golden Age, you and me were born... me fifteen minutes older than you. Anyway, as we grew up, we were polar opposites. I was, and still am, a sadist. You, however, were always helping those around you, you sod.

"And since everything had turned out this way, we were both chosen. I was chosen by the darkness to be Marek Phobos - destroyer of the traveller, demolisher of light. You were chosen by the traveller to become Drex Harth - warrior of the traveller, servant of the light. I never really understood how it worked either.

Anyway, this is apparently part of a big cosmic cycle... just ask your Exo Stranger, she knows. But Oryx tells me that at this point in time, the outcome is unclear - the cosmic cycle may repeat, but the outcome is different. There can only be one victor."

Drex could hardly believe his ears. He had an older, twin brother? One who was his opposite, one that he would have to kill?

"No..." Drex breathed again, his mind still reeling. His brother just smiled indifferently.

"Don't worry, Drex - I will be sure to make your death drawn out and agonizingly painful," he laughed. "You will not defeat me. The traveller is dormant, and now is our time to strike."

"Our?" Arina noted, scowling. Phobos nodded.

"Yes. I have an army. One composed from pure darkness, created from the souls of the old inhabitants of this city and any other beings that have ventured this far," Phobos explained, seemingly not caring about the fact that he was revealing his grand plan. After all, what could they do? "They are my Exiles, the soldiers that shall crush your puny and insignificant light." Drex physically shook his doubts out of his head, and stood firm.

"No. I will not allow this." Drex stated, his hands clenched. Phobos shook his head. When he spoke, his voice made it clear he was smiling under the helmet.

"Ah, Harth. So young, and so naïve... you must know that you will never destroy me. My army is strong enough to crush anything, and a Fireteam of six won't even dent their ranks. Not even you, The Warrior, can stand up to my army." Phobos was carried away, gloating about his imminent victory. An idea began to form in Drex's mind. Phobos turned away, his back to Drex, still laughing mockingly. Drex called up his Ghost, and hurriedly whispered to it.

"Set, operation get-us-outta-here. Now." His Ghost 'nodded', then disappeared back into Drex's helmet in a flash of light. Silently, Set transmitted a message to the other Guardians' Ghosts. Now was the time.

He knew what to do.

As his Ghost transmatted his SUROS Regime away for later, he stepped forward, reaching behind his back. Forming in his hand, his Arc Edge shimmered into life, it's bright blade glinting in the moonlight, the dark heart of Willbreaker pulsating at its core. Phobos heard this, and turned to face him. Laughing, a blade formed in his hand. A simple design, Phobos's blade was forged in pure darkness, then purged in the blood of a Guardian. As the midnight black blade appeared in his hand, Drex settled into a fighting stance; both hands grasping the hilt held above his shoulder and close to his chest, held horizontal to the ground, his legs tense.

Phobos simply held it in one hand, relaxed. Drex's companions started forward, but a roar filled the air. The Guardians all looked skywards,scanning the sky as Drex and Phobos locked gazes. They couldn't see each other's eyes, but each knew their gazes were locked. It was a battle of wills. From the horizon, five ships soared towards the Fireteam. Each Guardian's personal ship, they banked sharply to the left. Before the other Guardians could react, their Ghosts immediately transmatted them aboard their respective ships, following the orders relayed by Set. The five ships looped around, soaring into orbit.

"Impressive plan," Phobos admitted, his gaze still locked with Drex's. "Now we can spend some brotherly time together, eh?" Drex said nothing. They stood for what seemed like hours, neither willing to break away. Finally, as though by some unspoken command, they struck. In unison, the twins leapt forward, their blades carving swathes through the air. As their weapons clashed, the clang reverberated up and down the street.

Quick as lightning, Phobos let his blade slide along Drex's, then crouched. Kicking a foot out, he swept it across the floor at shin height, hoping to trip Drex up. Seeing this, Drex did not leap over the oncoming leg. Instead, he jumped slightly, then planted his right foot on Phobos's attacking leg. Phobos howled as his thigh was crushed against the ground, but he quickly recovered. Mentally converting the pain into anger, he let Drex's foot hold him in place, then slammed his remaining foot into Drex's stomach. His powerful Future War Cult armour dented under the force of the blow, and Drex was sent reeling backwards. His pain forgotten, Phobos leapt nimbly to his feet, then rushed at Drex. Seeing the rushing figure, Drex raised Arc Edge, arc energy forming before it to create a shield. Phobos had anticipated this, and changed tacts. Just before he collided with the shield, he tensed his legs, then sprung over the unsuspecting Drex. Caught by surprise, Drex was barely able to register the attack before Phobos landed behind him, then side kicked him with ease. There was a sickening crack as Drex's spine snapped, and a loud thud as he crashed to the floor. He barely managed to roll onto his back, whimpering and paralyzed from the stomach down.

Approaching slowly, Marek Phobos casually spun his sword in his right hand, before abruptly stopping and placing the tip of the blade above the Warrior's throat. But it was not Drex's time yet. Roaring, light burst from Drex's body, the force of it disorientating Phobos. He could feel the bones of his spine grinding together, knitting back together. He imitated what Phobos had done earlier, leaping to his feet. Before he even landed, he'd scooped Arc Edge from the ground. Raising Arc Edge skyward with the hilt clasped in tooth his hands, he let loose a primal scream that careened up and down the street. Light poured into Arc Edge, turning the blade into a shimmering spire of energy. As it died down, Arc Edge was reborn.

The sword that Drex held had never been seen before. The heart of Willbreaker had turned from black to white, now glowing with light energy. The blade had been reformed, turning from a single shaft of Hadium into a shimmering double-edged blade, covered in intricate markings. Arc Energy crackled up and down the blade, and straight down the middle of the blade was a gap in which was filled with arc energy.

"What?" Phobos gasped, flabbergasted. Drex lowered the weapon so that the tip was facing Phobos.

"Face the wrath of Bolt Caster." Drex said, his voice carrying down the road even though he was not even yelling. Then he held Bolt Caster akin to a baseball player (he'd seen them in some old pictures of the Golden Age) , and swung. A whirling circle of arc energy blasted from the blade, spinning across the gap between the two adversaries. Phobos saw it coming, but he could barely move. On some sort of delayed reaction, he began to roll out of the way, but the bolt slammed into his chest. He was flung backwards as though he'd been fired from a slingshot, smoking remnants of arc power trailing from the impact point. Before he crashed into the skeleton of a building, he used the darkness instilled within him to stop himself. Landing heavily on his feet, he glared at Drex underneath his helmet.

Readying himself to attack again, he bared his teeth and began spinning his sword. Drex just held his as he had before. Right as Phobos was about to launch himself at the Warrior, Drex's ship swooped in. The Spindle Demon's front cannons fired up, and a barrage of small rockets screamed towards Phobos. Dissolving his sword, Phobos raised his arms and began deflecting each rocket. In front of him, Drex lowered Bolt Caster just before he was enveloped by glowing blue light, transmatting into his ship.

The onslaught of missiles stalled, and the Spindle Demon activated its powerful thrusters. It reared back, then blasted into the night sky. Phobos's eyes tracked his brother's ship as it soared into the heavens.

"This is not the end, my brother." Marek Phobos uttered, clenching and unclenching his fists. The he turned away, and melted into the shadows.

* * *

Hey guys, sorry for the slight delay for this new chapter. I've been kinda busy what with school and trying to get to light level 190 so I can do the new raid! Anyway, if you've stuck with me this far, I truly appreciate the support on my first ever fanfic. Thanks again, guys. This is Knight, signing off. Ta-ra!


	5. Will of the Vanguard

"Are you crazy? Take us back, now!" Eren was in the process of shrieking at his Ghost. Hotlink was fidgeting uncomfortably, but he wouldn't budge.

"It was Drex's personal order, Eren." Hotlink said, speaking the truth.

"You don't just leave another Guardian!" Eren retorted, before sagging into his chair, his head falling into his hands. Over the comlink, he could hear the voices of the other Guardians conversing with their Ghosts.

"Take us back now!" Arina.

"Serves that idiot right." Scarlett.

"Titans..." Dess.

"Pfft." Arra.

"Hey guys." Drex. Wait, Drex?

"Drex!" Eren yelped, his metal features turning joyful, his electric mind going into overdrive.

"Sorry about that stunt I pulled back there." He said, sounding embarrassed.

"Mm-hm," Arina said, somehow managing to contain her joy and do an impressive job of sounding nonchalant. "Explain yourself."

"Yeah, so, I got Set to take you all back to your ships so I could fight... him. I take full responsibility for it." Eren's metal brow creased with a click of metal on metal, signifying his confusion.

"Why send us back? Couldn't we have helped you?"

"No," Drex replied. "Phobos is too powerful. The only reason I managed to get away is because of Bolt Caster."

"Bolt Caster?" Dess inquired, fidgeting.

"I'll show you later," Drex said mysteriously. "And anyway, I've been thinking. I've got a plan to stop Phobos." Lett laughed in disdain.

"And what might that be, O' chosen one?" Drex ignored her.

"Phobos has an army," he explained. "So we need one too."

* * *

The Sun was rising over the Tower. Guardians bustled around, chatting and handing in bounties, dancing and giving the Cryptarch grief. All the hubbub stopped when six ships soared across the space over the Tower, transmatting their Guardians to the Tower courtyard. No one really piloted their ship straight over the tower; they just transmatted off into the courtyard, then let their Ghost take it to the docking bay. But not this time. Drex boldly strode towards the stairs leading to the Hall of Vanguards, Bolt Caster gleaming against his back. The Guardians around the six that set their eyes on the gleaming Hadium blade whispered amongst themselves. Never had a sword like Bolt Caster been seen before.

Lord Shaxx of the Crucible glanced up from the datapad he was holding to see Drex. At first he looked back to his datapad, uninterested. Then his head jerked back up.

"What is that?" He asked, raising en eyebrow under his bold orange and white helmet. Drex smiled slightly.

"Bolt Caster." He answered, then continued towards the Vanguards. Shaxx, unable to restrain his curiosity, began to pad along behind the group. As Shaxx and the others entered the hall, a Guardian shouted from behind.

"Hey, Shaxx! I got those seventy-five legendary marks! Where's that Aspriet Cloak?" A Hunter was hurrying after them, his Takanome Rangers reflecting the brash orange light. Shaxx yelled back something meant to be incomprehensible involving oranges and the Crucible Quartermaster, then the great doors to the hall slammed shut. The newly turned Level 40 Hunter outside muttered something about being carried and about Nightfall drops, then left the room, swearing at Arcite 99-40 as the Frame innocently asked if he needed assistance. Inside the Hall of Vanguards, the three Vanguards looked up in surprise as the doors to the hall slammed shut.

"Drex?" Zavala realized. "Welcome back. Why did you shut the doors?" Drex walked forward and slammed the palm of his hand on the table.

"Because we need to talk." He said urgently, addressing all three of them.

"You should not speak to a Vanguard that way." Ikora Rey, the Warlock Vanguard, sniffed in disdain. Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard, had a completely different mindset.

"Come on, Ikora! Let the boy talk." He said, then winked brotherly at Drex. Together they had worked together to board the Dreadnaught and defeat Oryx, father of Crota. Drex had no idea what had happened to Oryx after he'd slammed the power of Willbreaker into his chest, but Drex wanted to know, so he could finish the fight. He distracted himself from those dark thoughts and focused in the threat.

"Listen closely, because I'm only saying this once," He said, before quickly recounting everything that had happened between him leaving for London and then. "We can't stand up to Phobos on our own. But all Guardians can." He added, rounding off his tale. After he finished his story, the Hall was silent for what seemed like a long time. Finally, Zavala broke the silence.

"So... you're the 'Warrior'?" He inquired, still baffled. Ikora shook her head.

"Praedico Ceres was a madman tainted by the Darkness. There is no proof-" she was never able to finish that sentence, as Drex unsheathed Bolt Caster from his back and raised it skyward. Storm clouds began to gather around the base of the blade, then arc energy blasted out of the blade, transforming it from a sword into a shard of pure energy. The arc energy slammed into the ceiling, then spread out like a wave of water, turning the white surface shimmering blue. Eren and Arina knew what to do, as they'd gone over it during the trip back. Both of them unsheathed their swords - Eren held Sol Edge, and Arina held Void Edge. In unison, the advanced forward, then pressed both their blades against Bolt Caster. When they let go, their blades began to fall, but were caught be an invisible force and began to rotate around Bolt Caster. Then in a sudden flash of light that disorientated all, the three swords crashed together and melded with one another. What Drex now held in his hands was a sword that had never come before it, nor would ever be seen again.

The dark heart of Willbreaker had been transformed, turning it from a dark source into a pure and just one, gleaming with pure white light. The light heart was set into the base of a double-edged blade of pure light, the power of the Warrior infusing the three blades into a pure shaft of light energy. Arc Energy ran up and down the blade, while one edge of the blade was lined with Solar Energy, and the other edge lined with Void Energy. Even though the name of the blade had not been spoken, all those in the room somehow knew its name; Elysium, the exact opposite of Marek Phobos's blade, Asphodel.

Even Drex himself had changed, as he no longer wore his Future War Cult armour - it had changed into angular armour resembling the Duskrender type, but made of pure light, like the one he'd seen in his vision when Phobos had tried to crush his heart. Drex slowly lowered his new blade, holding it loosely by his side. No one spoke, rendered speechless by the awesome show of power. A voice broke the silence.

"You deserve this Boolean Gemini." The voice stammered from the corner of the hall. All heads turned towards the speaker. Xûr, Agent of The Nine, was the one who had spoken. He was currently holding out a Boolean Gemini Scout Rifle with shaking hands. Drex raised an arm. A tendril of light shot from his fingers, wrapping around the rifle before jerking it towards the Warrior. He inspected it with one hand before tossing it to Dess. Surprised, the Hunter barely registered the flying rifle before he reflexively snatched it from the air.

Commander Zavala spoke in a shell-shocked voice.

"You shall have your army, Warrior." He mumbled, his fingers trembling ever so slightly. The other two Vanguards were quick to mutter their approval. Drex smiled slightly, letting his light helmet dissipate.

"Drex is fine." Said Drex. Zavala nodded, banishing the shock from his mind with some effort. Now was the time for action. He and the other Vanguards were quick to open comlinks with as many Guardians as they could within their respective class parameters.

Shaxx stepped forward to speak to Drex.

"Harth, I can summon Lord Saladin and his allies if you want." Shaxx said, some of his usual loud bravado back. Drex just nodded. Shaxx nodded in return, then took his leave as urgent transmissions blasted across the solar system...

"Titans, this Commander Zavala. There is a new threat to the Traveller, nesting in London. Any Guardians who receive this, report back to the tower immediately."

"Hunters, this is Cayde. How're you guys doing? Anyway, we need as many of you guys as we can back here at the tower. Big emergency. As in, 'destroy the Traveller' emergency. So, uh, yeah, get your butts back here now."

"To any and all Warlocks. This is Ikora Rey. Any Warlock that receives this message must return to the Tower effective immediately."

"Saladin, it's Shaxx. Yeah, big threat to the Traveller, big threat to humanity, you know. Just another day. Basically, we need all the help we can get. Yeah, you. And, y'know, any other people the Iron Lords can supply us with. Alright, thanks.

* * *

1 Sol Later

"How many Guardians do we have?" Drex asked Zavala from the opposite end of the table. Zavala looked down at his datapad to answer.

"Uh... We currently have around 100 at the tower, with another 150 either orbiting Earth to listen in or currently heading to Earth to pitch in." Zaval replied. Drex nodded, satisfied. He estimated that Phobos's army numbered anything from 200 to 300 exiles, so this was very good.

"Any exceptional Guardians?" Drex inquired. Zavala again glanced at his datapad.

"Well, the ones that really stand out are these guys with really dumb nicknames," Zavala stated, shaking his head slightly. He then read them off anyway. "Alright, we have... MoreConsole, Datto, Byf, Mr. Fruit, BlueWestlo, and Rhabby. Rhabby is only on this list because he is affiliated with Fruit. He really isn't an exceptional Guardian, but he is a rather good Hunter." Zavala added. Drex nodded.

"Okay, tell them that anyone in their clan now reports to them. They are my commanders in this army." Zavala nodded before relaying his orders. Drex turned to the door of the hall as the other members of his Fireteam stepped through the doors, still battle-scarred but fresh and ready for battle after a good nights sleep. He was quick to tell them to suit up with better weapons, as firepower definitely mattered against the embodiment if their most hated enemy. The five Guardians heeded his orders, going their separate ways to collect new weapons. Eren was going to his vault to grab his backup Last Word with Arra following along to buy something off Master Rahool when they heard Banshee-44, the Tower Gunsmith, calling them over.

"Going to war," the Exo gunsmith said. It wasn't a question. "A Guardian needs good guns. Take this, Guardian." He raised a hand cannon which was coloured black and white with the symbol of a spade imprinted on the side.

"What is this?" Eren questioned, swiping it from Banshee's grasp before spinning it around his index finger. It felt... right, the grip fitting perfectly in his hand like no other.

"The Ace of Spades," Banshee replied with what sounded like pride in his voice. "Hand cannon that causes explosions on precision kills and moves one round from the reserve ammo directly into the magazine on precision kills. A true Hunter's weapon." He shook himself out of the Thrace he always seemed to fall into when talking about his weapons, then he turned to Arra, and drew another weapon from under the table.

"What is this?" She said, repeating Eren's words in awe.

"Sleeper Simulant," Banshee drawled, his voice now barely betraying emotion, probably due to the fact that it wasn't his gun but one she'd ordered a while ago. "Heavy fusion rifle with a powerful that cuts through enemies and ricochets multiple times." Arra reached forwards, scooping up the beast. Her smile was chilling.

In the hanger, Lett was checking her ship when Amanda Holliday called her over. The Tower shipwright leaned forward from her precarious perch atop a crate in excitement.

"So, Tex Mechanica gave me the chance to design a shotgun." She explained.

"So?" Lett responded, not seeing the point until the shipwright reached behind the crate and pulled out the most beautiful weapon Lett / eyes had ever touched. Matte black with intricate etchings along the surface, Lett knew this was the most formidable shotgun she'd ever use.

"We call it the Chaperone," Holliday said proudly. "I designed it myself, kept it until there was the right Guardian to use it."

"Me?" Lett questioned, surprised.

"Yes, you," Amanda confirmed before pressing the lever-action shotgun into the Guardian's hands. "Use it well - don't let all my hard work go waste." She jested, then turned away, indicating the end of the conversation. Spinning the shotgun around the lever, Lett left the hangar, her ship forgotten.

Arina still stood next to Drex, unwilling to leave his side. He turned to her, noting her battle-scarred Dead Orbit robes and armour.

"You should change." He said, gesturing at the scars and gouges dug into her armour platings. She shook her head stubbornly.

"I'm not leaving your side." She insisted. Drex sighed, then turned to Set. Set instantly understood. As one of his closest friends, Drex and Set had conversed about this moment many times. The air around Drex's hands began to shimmer, then solidified. A Bad Juju dropped into the palms of his hands, green fire already rising from the skull mounted above the weapon's barrel.

"You always wanted one." He said, slightly embarrassed as he held it out to the shocked Arina.

"How long have you had that?" She asked, her usual sarcasm nonexistent.

"About two weeks," he sighed. "Had to work up the courage." As she took the pulse rifle and cradled like it was her child, she shot him a questioning glance.

"Courage to do what?" She asked, confused.

"Courage to do this." Drex said in a shaky voice, then leaned forward and kissed her. Emotions exploded through both of their minds. Shock and awe seemed to be the majority. Arina did nothing to resist as they both fell into each other, their arms moving to embrace their oldest friend. As they kissed, oblivious to everything around them, Cayde leaned over to Ikora.

"A Warlock demonstrates clear and concise focus…" He sniggered. A purple ball of energy began to form in the palm of the Warlock Vanguard, and the Hunter hurriedly backed away.

* * *

Standing where the Speaker had once stood after the destruction of the Black Garden, Drex fearlessly faced the large crowd of Guardians, Veterans and Recruits, Warlocks and Titans. Casuals and Sweaties. What?

"You okay?" Arina asked Drex, her lips still warm. He turned to her.

"No," he said emotionlessly. "I can tell by the way my jaw and hands hurt from clenching." Arina carefully and stealthily slipped her hand into his palm and squeezed.

"You'll be fine." She assured him, then backed away. Drex turned to stare into the rolling beast that was the army of Guardians, also knowing that many more were watching from above in their ships. Stepping forward, he banished the fear from his mind and waited for the crowd to fall silent as the light from his armour washed over them.

"There was once a time when we were arrogant," he said, his voice effortlessly carrying throughout the courtyard. "But that was the Golden Age. There was once a time when we were paranoid, afraid. That was the Collapse. But what are we now? We are Guardians. We serve the traveller, the city. We protect our home. Now there is a new threat to our home, one that will eradicate us forever. But we will not back down. We will not cower! Too long have we spent our days fighting in small groups, pushing back the darkness in small amounts. It has worked, but now there is need for a new strategy.

This new threat will wipe us from the universe. A single Fireteam is too weak. I alone am too weak. But together, we can do our duty to the traveller, do our duty to the city, and do our duty to ourselves. We can fight, and stop the Darkness!" The world was drowned by the roar of approval from the assembled Guardians.

"Be Brave!" The Guardians bellowed.

"Today we are united, today we are all part of the Brotherhood of Light." Drex yelled, raising both fists skyward. The newly assembled Brotherhood of Light copied his gesture and roared wildly. Arina put her hand on Drex's forearm.

"Let's do this." She smiled. In unison, the Brotherhood raised their hands, and dissolved into shimmering blue light as they transmatted to their ships. As Drex piloted the Spindle Demon towards London, through the camera feeds he could see the blazing trail of the many ships behind him. As Big Ben emerged from the fog and the many crumbled building revealed themselves, Drex realized that he had caused all of this.

And he was determined to live up to all of his work.

* * *

Hey guys, sorry if this chapter took a little while to upload. I've been busy grinding out the raid and also grinding out my revision for school. And please, reviews would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if you'd like to see some custom Exotic weapons make an appearance. And just as a side note, I am currently writing another story, a crossover between Star Wars and Destiny. If you have dreamed about having a Hunter duel a Jedi with a sword, just wait until I've finished drafting the first chapter.

Peace out, Guardians!


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